Stephen A Smith (Photo via awfulannouncing/Twitter)
ESPN’s Stephen A Smith is not a fan of people who have a lot to say about his comments from last week regarding JJ Redick.
Smith did not mince a single word when he stated on First Take that “white folks” shouldn’t concern themselves with the report he put out that Black head coaches had an issue with Redick starting a podcast with LeBron James while Darvin Ham was on the hot seat with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“Black coaches called a Black commentator to complain about a Black superstar doing a podcast while his Black head coach was on the hot seat before he ultimately lost the damn job,” Smith said, via Awful Announcing. “What does that have to do with white folks? Some things are none of your damn business.”
After that rant, Smith then took a shot at Fox Sports’ Doug Gottlieb, who had accused him of “race-baiting.”
“It was a Black-on-Black thing, but you’ve got other folks who will remain nameless working for other networks with their irrelevant-ass selves popping their junk,” he said. “And the fact of the matter is it has absolutely positively nothing to do with that. It’s about that the fact that this situation ended up looking the way that it looks optically.”
Stephen A Smith said last Monday that “numerous coaches, Black coaches, called me expressing how they took issue with that podcast taking place.” He added that “some of them felt very salty about that.”
A few days later, Smith offered up his own opinion, saying that James’ decision to launch a podcast breaking down the game was a “very egregious thing to do” given the timing.
Puck‘s John Ourand reported last Thursday that ESPN made Stephen A. Smith a contract offer. The Worldwide Leader In Sports offered $18 million for Smith’s services. That was not enough for him.
According to John Ourand, Stephen A. Smith is currently asking for $25 million annually from ESPN.
That massive number would make him ESPN’s highest-paid talent, surpassing Monday Night Football’s Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.
Last December, Smith joined Clay Travis on OutKick the Show and was asked whether being their highest-paid talent is important to him.
“Yes. I’m not stuttering. Hell, yes, that’s absolutely true,” Smith said. “I’ve mastered my own business in the world of sports television. Clay Travis, I’ve been number one for 12 years. April 1st will mark 12 consecutive years I’ve been number one. Not only have I been number one every year, I’ve been number one every week and every month of every year for the last 12 years.
“You don’t get to say that about too many people. I look at whether it’s Pat McAfee, it’s Mike Greenberg, it’s Scott Van Pelt, it’s Troy Aikman, it’s Joe Buck, it’s Kirk Herbstreit. The list goes on and on. I’m so honored to have the colleagues that I have that I work with at ESPN every day. And at the end of the day, it would be nice, one day, for this man to stand before everyone and be like, ‘I’m number one and this says I’m number one.’”
